Kerosene Emulsions. 81 



peared ; l Henry Bird, of Newark, N. J., made a mixture in which 

 he used a little kerosene oil with strong soap-suds. He said 

 that " it readily combines and can be applied uniformly with 

 a syringe." 



Although it is not definitely stated in the two cases just 

 mentioned that emulsions were secured, still there can scarcely 

 be any doubt that at least a part of the oil was emulsified. 

 Who, then, is the originator of the, or a, kerosene emulsion V 

 The answer is undoubtedly to be found in the unrecorded work 

 of some unknown but intelligent grower of plants. 



Cook was probably the first experimenter to recommend the 

 use of a mixture of kerosene oil and soap water. He says : ' 2 "I 

 found it [kerosene] would mix permanently with soap solution 

 in 1877 and 1878, and that it would kill many insects if it 

 touched them, and best of all would destroy haustellate insects 

 like bugs, plant and scale lice. I first recommended this to the 

 public in 187& 3 . . . The best substances for such use (killing 

 haustellate [sucking] insects) are a weak solution of carbolic 

 acid, a strong suds either of whale-oil or common soap, and 

 tobacco water. I have found that the addition of a half tea- 

 cupful of crude petroleum to two gallons of either of the above 

 makes them the more effective. ... I mix one quart soft 

 soap, or one-quarter of a pound of hard soap, with one or two 

 quarts boiling water ; as soon as the soap is all dissolved, I stir 

 in, while all is yet hot, one pint of kerosene oil. This is now 

 violently stirred till it is permanently mixed that is, till 

 upon standing the oil will not rise to the top, but will remain 

 incorporated with the liquid. . . . When we are ready to use 

 this, stir in enough water to make fifteen pints in all that is, 

 one-fifteenth of the liquid applied would be kerosene oil." 

 These formulas, using either the hard or the soft soap, have re- 

 ceived the name of the originator, and they are still in common 

 use. 



Riley published the following in the annual report of the 

 Commissioner of Agriculture for the years 1881-82, 127 : 

 " Emulsions with soap-suds and lye had been worked at some 



1 "T. A." in Gardener's Monthly, 1868, June, 106. See, also, Country Gen- 

 tleman, 1S76, July 6, 422, citing from The Agriculturist. 

 * Mich. Agric. Exp. Sta. 1890, March, BuU. 58, 5. 

 See Rept. Mich. State, Board of Agric. 1878, 484. 

 6 



